1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a test object receptacle, a test apparatus, and a test method for conducting tests using intermolecular interaction such as antigen-antibody reactions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been used in recent years mainly in the field of medicine or biotechnology for quantitatively determining antigens or antibodies. With this method the antigen-antibody reaction between an antibody or antigen and a measurement substance is traced with the enzyme activity as an indicator and the antigen or antibody is assayed based on the results obtained. Some of the ELISA methods use bioluminescence, chemiluminescence, or fluorescence. Such an assay is conducted by causing a reaction of an enzyme-labeled antigen or antibody and a substrate, detecting the luminescence or fluorescence produced in this enzyme reaction with a photodetector, and measuring the intensity thereof.
In immunoassay using a microplate as a reactor for immunoassay, first, an antigen corresponding to an antibody to be measured or an antibody corresponding to an antigen to be measured, is converted into a solid phase on the well bottom. Then, a sample containing the antibody or antigen, which is to be measured, is added, and an antigen-antibody reaction is induced. A labeled antigen or labeled antibody is then added and the non-adsorbed labeled antigen or labeled antibody is washed. A substrate liquid is then added, an enzyme substrate reaction is induced, and the enzyme activity generated in this process is measured by absorption photometry, fluorophotometry or the like to determine quantitatively the antigen or antibody.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H5-5741 described the use of a centrifugal force in immunoassay. Furthermore, a method using a simple kit based on immunochromatography is known as another immunoassay method.